THE FATHER OF THE NATION OF BELIZE, GEORGE PRICE. AS A NATIONAL ACTIVIST AND LEADER HE MOVED CONSTANTLY AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION HE LOVED IN THE MOST REMOTE OF VILLAGES AND HOMES. HE WORKED TIRELESSLY–AND WITH A COMMITMENT TO NON-VIOLENCE–TO FREE BRITISH HONDURAS OF BRITISH RULE AND MAKE IT THE INDEPENDENT NATION OF BELIZE IT IS TODAY, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. BELIZE REMAINS “3RD WORLD,” ALWAYS DEVELOPING, SUCH AS IT DEVELOPS AT ALL, AT A SNAIL’S PACE. STILL, BELIZEANS WOULDN’T TRADE THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM FOR ANYTHING.
“Scrutiny of the life of any remarkable leader is bound to reveal contradictions. [George] Price’s personal lifestyle perhaps threw up fewer contradictions. Like Jamaica’s Michael Manley who used the more tropics-friendly Kariba suit, Price forsook the western style suit in favour of the guayabera.
“For the duration of his long career, he owned one suit that he used for international meetings and never abandoned the guayabera. . . .
“Price lived his entire adult life in utter defiance of materialism, owning just a few items of clothing, the barest wooden furniture, and no appliances or stereo equipment; all he owned was a radio.
“Price is described as “father of the nation”, “father of independence”, “national hero”, and “man of the people”. He moved easily and confidently among the people without any bodyguards and could be seen walking to church every morning at 5:30 a.m. and picking up paper and bits of trash as he moved along the streets.”
— From a biography of George Price, the first Prime Minister of Belize and a national hero known as “The Father of Belize.”
As I noted in a prior posting, Belize celebrates its independence from the Brits every year with all kinds of social and cultural events, complete with parades and fireworks and parties into the wee hours.
This year’s Independence Day, Sept. 21, will mark the 31rst birthday of Belize as we know it today. The country was known as British Honduras as a longtime colony of the British Empire.
George Price–a wannabee priest who left behind his seminary training and eventually became Belize’s Gandhi, of a sort–worked tirelessly, and like Gandhi and his other hero MLK Jr. worked non-violently— to make his vision of a free and independent Belize a reality.
Price remained single and celibate his entire life, like the priest that he always wanted to be. His love for his country and its people, though, superseded even his love of the church–which he attended every day no matter where in the world he was traveling..
They might as well call September 21 George Price Day. The short little rocky street in front of my rent house is George Price Street. Just as there is a Martin Luther King Jr. street in most American cities and towns and even some villages, every town and village and “city” in Belize has its George Price Street. {Belize City, the largest “city” in the nation, is a city of only 70,000 people.)
Price was quite a humble, tireless activist and leader, and fascinating man, and remains a real hero to the 300,000 people of tiny Belize.
Click here for more about this remarkable leader’s life and times.
You said: Belize City, the largest “city” in the nation, is a city of only 70,000 people.
Seriously, anything much over 30,000 I think of as a large city. Guess I have been COUNTRY too long. With the exception of two years while looking for land and building our current house, I’ve lived in a rural area since 1975. Wow – 35 years!!!!!!!!!
Just took in the bio of George Price. Colorful and interesting man!